Gentleman,

I am getting a M1999 Short action from Montana Rifleman. I am thinking 7mm WSM. The boltface is .532, but a WSM is .535 rim diameter, is that going to need to be fitted or is that just the way it is. Also, I am not sure as to stainless or in the white. I was looking to do a nice walnut stock for a showpiece hunting rifle, which i have traditionally seen with blued actions. I would like to see if any of you have some pics of stainless gun with a nice wood stock.

[ 06-04-2003, 00:17: Message edited by: RobP ]

So you are also getting on the M1999 bandwagon! I got my credit card statement yesterday and saw that I had been charged the low, low price of $350 and quick-like called Dan at MRC and asked breathlessly if my action had been shipped. Alas, it had not but I was told I was charged to get in on the charter price, which is fine with me. It's already paid for anyway. Dan told me when I ordered on 4/23 that there is enough meat on the bolt face that it can be machined to go from Standard to Magnum with no problems. The LH longs are supposed to ship in just a few more weeks. It is good to be single with no kids...

RobP,
I got so excited I forgot to really answer your questions. I'm doing my build-up in stainless because: 1)it doesn't rust, 2)is not your run-of-the-mill material for guns, and 3)a scratch in stainless can be filed and sanded to a minimized condition by you but a scratch in chromemoly will show up light landing ligts on a jumbo jet and will require you to send off your boomstick to be reblued if it's a deep scratch. My rig will have an American Black Walnut stock in straight-line thumbhole from Richard's Micro-fit and a Nightforce 12-42x56 scope (the $1100 one, not the $1500 one)on a sloped Picatinny rail with 30mm Nightforce rings. The scope, rail and rings will cost as much as the gun. Finish will be to the "piano" level. Buttpad will be Pachmyar Decelerator with recoil reducers embedded in butt and forearm. Barrel will be 27- or 28-inch Krieger or Badger in .30-06 caliber and 1:9 RH twist with Shrewd muzzle brake. Can anyone suggest any improvements? No wife, kids, alimony or child support. Gotta spend my money in some way, right?

Rootbeer-

What do you plan to use your rifle for?

If you plan to carry it much, you may want to re-think that 56 m/m objective diameter on your scope. I had some 56's on my rifles and got rid of them. Too awkward and top heavy for me for anything except maybe sitting on a stand....which we don't do much of in my parts of Oregon.

Now I don't let any objective bigger than 42 m/m on top of my hunting rifles...preferably smaller.

Of course, everyone to their own likes, but just thought I'd mention its worth thinking hard and long about in respect of "carry" rifles.

AC

Rob-

Dan at Montana Rifleman is the best person to answer your boltface question but, logic tells me that the Short Action with the Magnum boltface was made for the "Short Magnums" i.e. the Winchester Short Magnums "WSM" and the Remington Short Action Ultra Magnums "SAUM".

The following statement might set off a bit of a thunderstorm but, I think a stainless rifle and nice stick of wood can coexit and look very nice. I sent you an e-mail with a picture of one that I am very fond of. Stainless rifles with nice wood stocks are non-traditional and non-classic. I like to equate them to "a knock-out redhead"; they are not your standard Blonde or Brunette but they are pretty just the same.

Good luck!!

Dear Albert Canuck:
My rig will be used for long-range destruction on small, furry animals (Bite me, PETA!!) at distances so long one will need a 42X scope to see them at all. I live about an hour from Washington, DC right now but hate the east coast so much I am going to move to near Richfield, Utah at the end of the summer. A man can shoot for 1000's of yards out there with no worries about anybody saying anything 'cept "Good shootin'" in kind of a grizzled, wizened "Sam Elliot" drawl. Once I've killed all the small, furry animals (admittedly a big job but I am up to it), I'll perforate paper to my hearts content. It was never my intention to hunt with this thing. I like to shoot, not to gut and clean any animal you'd later eat, eh?

RobP, here is one I did some years ago. It is a Winchester Model 70 featherweight in .270. Nice piece of English walnut with a leather covered pad, and a skeleton grip cap and inletted sling swivel bases.

Nice job Chic! You would not have a picture of the entire rifle, by any chance??? I'd like to see the lines of the entire thing, in particular how the lines of the foreend go together with the rear stock...

- mike

Here I will help Chic out and send a few other closeups of this beautiful rifle.

That is one fine looking rifle!!!

Yep, that's one beautiful "red-head"!!!!!!

All kidding aside, that's a great looking rifle.

In addition to that here is a website that I've been rebuilding for Chic. I need to get off my ass and make some more inprovements. Procrastrination is a killer.

http://webpages.charter.net/cworthing/

Hi guys,
The short action in a magnum configuration will be set up for the WSM cartridges. The bolt face is ideally .534" to handle the cartridge.